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Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Texas Proposes "No Gays" Adoption Law

There is a lot of stuff
happening on the large political stage right now... but let's not lose sight on
some of the other battles being fought.

TEXAS: A bill introduced on Saturday in the Republican controlled legislature, but
scheduled to be voted on next week, would allow for adoption agencies to reject
Jewish, Muslim, Gay, single, or interfaith couples.

You might think we are
just talking about religious organizations (like Catholic Charities) who are
already allowed to discriminate this way in several states.

But no.

This bill would allow
the rejection to extend to state funded agencies.

Once again: state funded
agencies would be allowed to discriminate against Jewish, Muslim, gay, sing,
and interfaith people in terms of adoptions. (South Dakota has similar horrible
allowances)

Republican sponsors of
Texas' bill say it is designed to support the religious freedom of adoption
agencies and foster care providers. Many of the agencies are private and
faith-based but, again, they receive state funds.

Opponents correctly point out that this bill robs children of stable homes
while funding discrimination with taxpayer dollars.

"This would allow adoption agencies to turn away qualified, loving parents
who are perhaps perfect in every way because the agency has a difference in
religious belief," said Catherine Oakley, senior legislative counsel for
the Human Rights Campaign. "This goes against the best interest of the
child."

The bill also blatantly violates the Constitution, Oakley added.

"As a governmental entity, Texas is bound to treat people equally under
the law," said Oakley. "This is a violation of equal protection under
the law."

But wait! It gets worse!

Not only could agencies turn away hopeful parents under the religious freedom
provision, but they could require children in the foster care system to
comply with their faith-based requirements, said Bryant.

That means child welfare organizations could send LGBT kids to
conversion therapy, a treatment designed to turn people straight - which
the Pan American Health Organization calls a "serious threat to the health
and well-being of affected people."

More than 100 children died in Texas child protective services last year alone,
when a judge had already ruled that the system violated youngsters'
constitutional rights by leaving them more troubled when they left the system
than when they entered it.

This proposal is just one of 24 pending bills in the Texas
Legislature that LGBT advocates say encourage discrimination.